If a company with 10,000 employees terminates 1,000, would that be considered a mass termination under the described rule?

If a company with 10,000 employees terminates 1,000, would that be considered a mass termination under the described rule?

• A. No it would not
• B. It depends on the industry
• C. Yes it would
• D. Only if planned with union involvement

Answer: (C)

Mass terminations hinge on treating a large chunk of the workforce as being dismissed within a short time frame. The rule looks at either a percentage of employees or a minimum headcount to define what counts as “mass.” Here, 1,000 out of 10,000 workers is 10% of the workforce. If the rule uses a threshold of 10% or more (within the prescribed period), this meets it and is considered a mass termination. Many rules also set a minimum number of affected employees (for example, 50); since 1,000 is far above that, it would qualify regardless of which threshold is used. So, it would be considered a mass termination under the described rule.

Mass terminations hinge on treating a large chunk of the workforce as being dismissed within a short time frame. The rule looks at either a percentage of employees or a minimum headcount to define what counts as “mass.” Here, 1,000 out of 10,000 workers is 10% of the workforce. If the rule uses a threshold of 10% or more (within the prescribed period), this meets it and is considered a mass termination. Many rules also set a minimum number of affected employees (for example, 50); since 1,000 is far above that, it would qualify regardless of which threshold is used. So, it would be considered a mass termination under the described rule.